The French actress, Ms Marianne Chicheiro has come out with the suggestion to slap garbage tax on every tourist visiting Goa as is being practiced in Europe. Some European tourist hot spots charge every tourist with a garbage tax on their air tickets or at check points.

Even some European hotels charge a garbage tax on every kilo of garbage created by the tourist. This tax enforces the tourist to restrain from littering garbage. In her perception this would help restore the old image and glory of Goa.  
She may be right in her own way. But she is not absolutely right. She might be nursing the impression that imposing a tax would make the tourists more discreet and refrain them from producing disproportionate garbage. With the changing time and major thrust on consumerisation, the level of garbage accumulation would go up. To blame the tourists for this situation or tax them on the plea of getting rid of the problem would virtually be a disservice to them. Fund for disposal for garbage has never been a problem. In fact, it does not require a huge amount of fund. It is primarily the generation of the domestic garbage and the issue of identifying landfill sites that have been at the root of the crisis.
The state government’s utter failure in tackling the garbage problem has not only crossed people’s tolerance limit but also forced the Speaker, Mr Pratapsing Rane some time back to remark on the floor of the Assembly: “Goa is full of garbage”. The dissatisfied Speaker had even entrusted the task of identifying and finalising places for landfill sites and treatment plants to a House Committee. The issue of identifying landfill sites for garbage disposal–in the normal course should have been carried out by the government–has been oscillating like a pendulum between the government and civic authorities. The House Committee had identified three-four sites in north and south Goa and out of these one site each for one district could have been finalised. Intriguingly, while the House Committee completed the task assigned to it, the government enjoying the executive powers failed to perform its constitutional obligation. The government was unwilling to antagonise voters and was also scared to face the mushrooming vigilante groups.
Some time back, the Goa Bench of the Bombay High Court had directed the Corporation of the City of Panaji to lift the hotel wastes thrice a week. Though the CCP authorities boast that it never shied away from lifting and disposing the garbage generated in the city hotels and restaurants, the fact remains that they had left this task for the Goa Hotels and Restaurants Association to accomplish on the plea that the CCP was not in the position to identify a garbage disposal site. Significantly, the hospitality sector too has expressed its anguish at the aggravating garbage situation. In this background, it is not clear how far the concept of charging garbage tax from the tourists would prove to be beneficial to the state. It would add to the state exchequer but prospects are bleak that it would make the government proactive and more responsible in finding a proper landfill site and disposing the garbage. Little doubt the time has come for the government to work out a comprehensive approach to get rid of this menace. It should also approach the hospitality sector and impress upon them the need to have their own incinerators. The political executives must take a decision in public interest overriding their own electoral compulsions.